STUDENT PLACEMENTS WITH
FOS (FRIENDS OF STARTTS)

Below is information on our student placement program. At the end of this page is a form you can fill in to apply for this program. If you have any further questions or if Schools wish to send larger numbers of students you can contact us at president@friendsofstartts.org.

Friends of STARTTS has designed a student placement program that is specially designed to do the following
-Fulfill the course requirements for students
-Benefit the community by placing students into hands on programs working with clients, and building and expanding non profit and community organisations.

Friends of STARTTS has many functions. Its main function is to increase services for torture and trauma survivors and then get the word out so that torture and trauma survivors are made aware of the programs that may help them with the many challenges they face in their personal lives and culturally integrating into the Australian Lifestyle.

Friends of STARTTS increase services and gets the word out in two ways. Firstly it fundraises through grant writing and events.

The other way Friends of STARTTS increases services for Refugees and torture and trauma survivors is with its community development project where it uses volunteers and student placements to build and expand non profit and charity organizations. This means that students working in this program will find themselves working in all types of organizations of all shapes and sizes for maximum learning experience. The program is designed for students working 200 hours or more to work in all the below areas. Students doing less than 200 hours will be able to chose the areas that best fit their curriculum and interests.

The goal at the end of this program is for students to be able to assess communities and client groups and then produce, run and build from scratch all types of charities and non profit organizations that will address these needs. This will allow students to become familiar in the works of community programs so that they can effectively keep programs and services running with little or no budget, whether it be for there personal or employment goals.

The program is also designed so that nothing is copyrighted so that students leave with all the materials and feel comfortable implementing these trainings throughout the community.

A brief description of projects and organizations students will be working in are listed below.

Refugee Art exhibition & Humanitarian awards- Students will be involved with all areas of the event and will learn how to run an event that has a focus on working with other refugee groups for the purpose of educating the wider community. This event is held in refugee week and then will spend the rest of the year touring throughout NSW.

Refugee Ball This event has a main focus of fundrasing. Students will be shown how to do large fundraising events that have a corpoate connection.

Australian Refugee Short Film Festival Primarily run by TRIUMPHANT a refugee non profit organisation that is mentored and supported by Friends of STARTTS. Included in this program is film workshops for refugees.

ALIV is a volunteer organization supported by Friends of STARTTS of over 200 volunteers that works inside immigration detention centers and families in community detention, as well as families on Bridging Visa E's and also runs child protection and development programs.

CATCH FREE (Free Consultancy And Training for Community groups and Humanitarians) Is a free training website designed to train Australians how to run and build charities and become professional volunteers. Students will be trained in all areas of running and building charities and will then be placed in a charity or non profit organization to practise these skills. Some of the trainings and experience that students receive include, grant writing, recruitment, training Volunteers, Admin and legal requirements for community organizations, How to build and run a non profit organization for when funding runs out or dry, client management, Program management, Volunteer management, Leadership, Reporting and Statistics, Event management and fundraising. As another role of CATCH Free is to create other free courses that allow the community to take control of their own development and training. These courses are seperated out into age appropriate websites such as - courses for kids - courses for teen - courses for volunteers etc. and then will be translated into any languages that are required for community development. Students will be shown how to run a translation unit for dealing with clients from a non-english speaking background.

Woman’s Leadership course - So many studies and forums around the world have called for the need of a specialised leadership course for woman. Woman around the world have proven themselves to amazing community leaders with right opportunities. We are currently putting together and researching a leadership course focused on woman that will also be avaliable to men. This will then be translated into over a dozen refugee languages and be an extremely valuable tool to speeding up community development.

Child protection and development research Over the last few years we have discovered many volunteering technologies that are somewhat more effective that professional technologies. The main reason for this is that most professionals are usually only able to spend an hour a week with clients on average, where volunteers and community groups are about to spend dozens of hours each week that allow volunteers to be extremely productive and successful in the field of child protection and development. This reasearch project takes many useful technologies and puts them into a format that allows untrained volunteers to complete these tasks. Students will shown how to continue this research and put together new programs to speed up child development and increase child protection.

Putting primary and secondary school education online free. There are many refugees that come to Australia that are for example 17 years or older and have not completed primary school. This has a major social development problem when children and adults are placed in year levels many years below their recomments age level resulting in many of them giving up education all together. This project will take the Australian primary and secondary school lessons and place them into a sped up volunteer format that will enable and community groups to speed up their education to place these clients back into their appropriate year level.

International project – ISHHR This is a project that fundraises to bring people from all over the world effected by human rights abuse to an educational conference in Peru to help them and their regions overcome these effects of human rights abuses.

Community Development Program. This program takes all the information that the students have learned above and has them run checklist on a refugee or other community group to see what is missing and required to speed up that communities development. The students will then help build comunity groups and services with the information that they have learned. This may be done in many ways life teaching groups to fundraise, grant write, recuit or program manage etc.

All the above sections are results based and measured and is an extremely good gradient in the preperation for their working careers. Students work in teams and are supervised and help through every stage with the goal being for students to be able to work effectively unsupervised.

If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to contact us at president@friendsofstartts.org

Student Placement Application Form

If you would like to apply to be part of our student placement program please fill out the below form, code of conduct and confidentiality agreement and click submit at the bottom.
NOTE: This program is done in NSW only

* Name:

Age:

Date of Birth:

Address1:

Suburb:

Postcode:

*Email:

Mobile:

Other phone:

How many hours do you need to complete:

When do you have to start your placement by:

When do you have to finish you placement by:

Please indicate the days you are available to complete your placement:

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday
   

Do you speak any other languages:

Please indicate why you would like to become involved in these programs:
   

Do you have any helpful skills that you can bring to the program?
   

Have you ever been involved in any groups that help refugees or asylum seekers?
   

Is there any reason you wouldn't pass a police check?

   

Do you have any volunteer experience?

Yes No

   

Are you okay with signing a confidentiality agreement?

Yes No

Does your course require professional supervision? If yes give details

Yes No

   

Is there anything that may conflict with your ability to be involved with these programs?
   

Do you have a current first aid certificate?

Yes No

   

Are there any other qualifications that you have that might be helpful?
   

How did you find out about these programs?
   

What is your current employment/study?
   

Are there any other requirements for your course that weren't covered above that your course needs?
   

Is there anything else you would like to add?

CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT

In consideration of any information I discover or observe or that is disclosed to me by children, adults, volunteers, management or anyone else during the course of my work with FOS, in relation to any child or adult FOS works with, I undertake as follows:

1. I will keep all information secret and confidential and will not, without FOS’s prior written consent, or where required by law, disclose or reveal the information or any part thereof to any person.

Please select A, B or C

a) I will keep all information I come in contact with while working with FOS secret and confidential
b) I will use common sense before I disclose confidential information to other parties
c) I acknowledge that I can disclose confidential information to my spouse but no one else

2. I will keep secret and confidential any information of whatever nature relating to the children and their families obtained during the course of my work with FOS, particularly any information that may identify a particular child or parent – such as their name, age, gender, country of origin, address, phone number, religion, or the particulars of their circumstances.

Please select A, B or C

a) I will keep all information about families and clients I come in contact with while working with FOS secret and confidential
b) I will use common sense before I disclose confidential information about families and clients to other parties
c) I acknowledge that I can disclose confidential information about families and clients to my spouse but no one else

3. I will not engage in any communications with the media about any aspects of FOS, including anything to do with the clients, children and families FOS works with.

Please select A, B or C

a) I can speak to the media about FOS if it doesn't break the law
b) I cannot speak to the media about FOS and / or its clients without written permission from the FOS committee
c) I cannot speak to the media about FOS unless it is about positive stories

4. This duty of confidentiality operates both during the time I am a FOS volunteer and after I stop volunteering with FOS.

Please select A, B or C

a) I have to abide by the terms of this confidentiality agreement even after I leave FOS
b) I have to abide by the terms of this confidentiality agreement only during my term with FOS
c) I have to abide by the terms of this confidentiality agreement only when I am on FOS programs

5. I will keep secret and confidential any information of whatever nature obtained during the course of my work with FOS, any information about or received by associated organizations including but not restricted Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS).

Please select A, B or C

a) If other organizations need me to keep their information confidential then they need to get me to sign one of their confidentiality agreements also.
b) This confidentiality agreement is relevant for all information I come in contact with in FOS only
c) This confidentiality agreement is relevant for all information I come in contact with in FOS and all organizations it works with.

CODE OF CONDUCT

INTRODUCTION

• Friends of STARTTS (FOS) is an Australian registered charity that supports the work of STARTTS (Services for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors).

• FOS supports STARTTS in many ways including:
- Raise awareness about STARTTS and refugees in Australia
- Raise funds to increase services and programs for torture and trauma survivors
- Increase the broader communities understanding of the issues faces by torture and trauma survivors
- Support STARTTS services with volunteer workers.
- FOS is a vital community arm of STARTTS.

• Volunteers make an extremely important contribution to FOS programs and ultimately to the physical and mental health and wellbeing of the children, families and adults FOS works with.

• It is essential that volunteers understand and respect the conduct and behaviours that are expected of them when they participate in FOS programs. The code of conduct below sets out these rules.

• It is essential that volunteers respect and follow the below rules for their own safety, the safety and privacy of the children, the families, Adults and the integrity of FOS.

CODE OF CONDUCT

During all FOS programs with clients, children and families and during all their contact with these children and families, volunteers will

1. Be involved only in activities that are directly connected with their duties as volunteers. Not to organize activities without permission and knowledge of FOS. Promote the values and purpose of FOS by not engaging in any activity that may undermine or compromise it. Conduct themselves appropriately at all times. Conform with any safety or conduct instructions issued by FOS management. Appreciate that their involvement in FOS and in FOS’s children, family and adult programs is at the discretion of FOS management and, in the event of misconduct, can be withdrawn at any time (including during a program).

Please select A, B or C

a) I can organize any activity if the clients ask me to.
b) I don't need permission to organize any programs if I am a FOS volunteer.
c) Only be involved with and organize programs that have the permission of the FOS committee.

2. Not smoke, smell of smoke, drink or be under the influence of drugs, alcohol or any other prohibited substance during a FOS program.

Please select A, B or C

a) I can only smoke during programs if the children can't see.
b) I can only smoke during lunchtime and breaks on programs.
c) I cannot smoke at any time on FOS programs including turning up smelling of smoke.

3. Not have contact with children, families or adults outside of organized, approved FOS programs. This includes contact with clients after you or they cease involvement with FOS, unless you have written permission by the FOS committee.

Please select A, B or C

a) I am not to have any involvement with any client outside FOS programs only while I am involved with FOS.
b) I am not to have any involvement with any client outside FOS programs unless I have written permission from the committee.
c) It is encouraged to get involved with clients as much as possible outside FOS programs.

4. Be sensitive to the different family, social, cultural and religious backgrounds of children, families and adults and respect the fact that issues of gender and modesty may be particularly relevant to children and adults from certain societies. Respect a child's, parent’s or adult's right to maintain their own religious and spiritual affiliation, or to choose not to have a religious or spiritual affiliation. Volunteers will not proselytise. Respect the privacy and dignity of the children, families and adults at all times on and off FOS programs. Every child, parent and adult FOS works with has the right to privacy. The importance of individual privacy is recognized by the Privacy Act 1988. Volunteers will not say anything to anyone outside of FOS that may identify a particular child, parent or adult – such as their name, age, gender, country of origin, address, phone number, religion, or the particulars of their circumstances or locations.

Please select A, B or C

a) When talking to people outside of FOS volunteers are okay to use names only if the people don't know them
b) When talking to people outside of FOS volunteers need to ask the families before they give away their identities.
c) When talking to people outside of FOS volunteers are not to say anything that may identify a particular child, parent or client

5. Not enter children, family’s, or adult’s homes without invitation from the parents (or GSL in a detention centre). Not give money or any other items of value to families or adults without consultation with and approval from FOS management. Maintain appropriate physical, psychological and emotional boundaries with clients, children and families. Volunteers will not engage in romantic or sexual activity with any client FOS works with or with any of their family or friends.

Please select A, B or C

a) Volunteers are not to enter the children's homes until they have the parent's permission.
b) Volunteers are okay to enter the children's homes only for the purpose of picking up the children.
c) Volunteers are not to enter the children's homes until they have the children's permission.

6. Not take or distribute photographs or videos of children, parents or adults. If volunteers are taking photos on behalf of FOS or the clients all photos are to be given to the FOS committee for approval before copied or given to anyone else.

Please select A, B or C

a) Volunteers are not to take photos of clients without permission of the FOS committee
b) Volunteers are permitted to take photos of clients if they have their permission.
c) Volunteers may take photos of clients as long as they are for personal use only.

7. Not give legal advice to children, parents or adults, including advice about visa applications or court appeals.

Please select A, B or C

a) Volunteers are to make sure they refer legal advice questions to trained professionals
b) Volunteers are not to give legal advice to children, parents or adults.
c) Volunteers are only to give legal advice to clients if they are trained to do so.

8. Not make derogatory comments about Global Solutions Limited (GSL), the Department of Immigration (DIAC), Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS), Red Cross, or any other organization that has contact with clients, the children and their families.

Please select A, B or C

a) Volunteers are not to make negative comments about any organization that the families or clients might have contact with
b) Volunteers are not to make negative comments about any organization that the families or clients might have contact with unless they are sure of what they are talking about
c) Volunteers are not to make negative comments about any organization that the families or clients might have contact with unless the clients request it.

9. Report to FOS management any concerns they have regarding the safety or well-being of any volunteer, individual family members or adults, particularly children. Not take any action that jeopardizes the safety of children, families, adults, volunteers or other members of the public.

Please select A, B or C

a) Volunteers don't need to report to FOS management any concerns they have regarding the safety or well-being of anyone in FOS if they have already reported to an appropriate organization such as police or department of community services
b) Volunteers are to report to FOS management any concerns they have regarding the safety or well-being of anyone in FOS
c) Volunteers are to report to FOS management any concerns they have regarding the safety or well-being of anyone in FOS only if they have the permission to do so from the person they are reporting.

10. Disclose to FOS management any criminal charges laid by police against them, or any finding of a court in relation to those charges and any penalty imposed.

Please select A, B or C

a) Volunteers must report all criminal charges laid by police against them only after a conviction has been recorded.
b) Volunteers must report all criminal charges laid by police against them only if they relate to children.
c) Volunteers must report all criminal charges laid by police against them.

PLEASE NOTE: You must answer the CODE OF CONDUCT questions and CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT questions above before you hit submit.